More Than Words
by Forgotten Remedy
Summary: Kyo has been thinking of a way to leave his old life behind and start anew. He has finally come up with the perfect plan to do so. But on his first day back to school, Kyo runs into a girl who has intrigued him like no one else has, but to his surprise she's mute. As he delves deeper into the mystery that is Tohru Honda, he finds himself falling for a girl without a voice. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter on my fanfic, "More Than Words". I appreciate you leaving a review so I know if you like it or if there's anything I can change. I hope you stick around, because this is going to be a long story! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

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Kyo wakes up and immediately wants to go back to sleep. Not because he hated how the morning light blinded him every time he opened his eyes. Not because he hardly got any sleep the night before, and he was too exhausted to function for the day. Not even because sleep was the only way to escape his alcoholic father. It's because today is his first day of his second year of high school, the last place he wants to be.

For Kyo, school is a waste of time. He often thinks why he attends a class where he has to learn algebra that he will never use. And don't get him started on reading; it's so boring that he could hardly stand it. I should have read a book last night to help me fall asleep, he thinks to himself. And socializing with his peers wasn't exactly his thing either. He would much rather be in the mountains in solitude, meditating or practicing martial arts. In fact, martial arts is what he loves to do the most and has thought several times to drop out of school and pursue his only passion.

But as he thinks this, an image of his deceased mother comes to his mind. He remembers her long brown hair falling over her face as she smiled so gently at him as a child. Although she passed away when he was just twelve years old, he remembers how much she loved him and how protective she was of him. He also remembers that she thought that his education was highly important, that it would be the milestone of his future. He knew that if she were alive, she would be entering his room right now and tell him that he better be ready and down stairs in ten minutes if was going to make it to school on time. Even though there would have been sternness in her voice, there would also be her sweet smile and that was enough for him to get out of bed. He sighed, got dressed, and headed down the stairs.

When Kyo reached the end of the stairs, he peered into the living room. He saw his father passed out on the couch, loudly snoring, empty whiskey bottle in hand. This image would shock most kids his age, but ever since his mother passed away five years ago, his father took it upon himself to bury his depression by meeting the bottom of a whiskey bottle almost every night. And thus, this was Kyo's everyday life now. He was disgusted of what his father has become, and even more disgusted that he looked just like the man that he despised the most. Kyo walked passed him quite loudly knowing that he was so knocked out by the heavy drinking it would take several sirens in his ears to wake this man up. Kyo passed him with a glare and headed towards the kitchen.

Kyo didn't know why he entered the kitchen when he knew very well that there would be nothing in it. He used to receive a big breakfast every day made by his mother when he was a child, and because of those memories he had a slight hope that maybe there would be a stack of pancakes piled sky high sitting on the table or he would be walking in to the smell of sizzling bacon on a skillet. But to his dismay, like every morning before, there were no such breakfast waiting for him, or any ingredients to even attempt to make anything close to it. The cabinets were actually starting to collect a layer of dust because they have not been opened in so long. He opened the fridge and only saw beer bottles stocked inside. He sighed and closed the fridge door. When he closed the door, however, he noticed that there was half of loaf of sliced bread loosely wrapped on the counter. He took a piece out and put it in his mouth and immediately wanted to spit it out as it was stale and surely expired. But it was food and he needed something to give him some sort of energy to get through his first day back to school.

He starts to walk out the kitchen back door but not before he shouts, "I'm going to school! I'll be back whenever!" He says this knowing that his father could not hear him, and he would probably forget that he would be at school today. He shoves the rest of the bread into his mouth and heads out, slamming the door behind him.

As Kyo starts to walk to school, he suddenly remembers how long of a walk it will be to get there. He lives just under two miles away from the high school, but he doesn't mind. The long walks to and from school help him clear his head and one of the few moments that he can enjoy in solitude. It's not like he doesn't mind being in company, but the people who tend to associate themselves with him are aggravating to him or have destroyed his trust. That's why his anger has become more aggressive over the years; to avoid the disappointment that people would surely bring into his life. It's better this way, Kyo thinks to himself.

He finally reaches the gates of the high school, and the image reminds him of how much he hates this place. The building consists of three floors, each floor for each of the high school grades. It stands as a grey concrete prison with two windows placed per classroom. How perfectly placed the building was made Kyo sick. The only reason why he chose this school is because it had its own dojo that was open to the students. It wasn't very popular currently, which made him enjoy it even more. I'm definitely going there after school today, he thinks to himself. He smiles at the thought and walks over to the school's bulletin to see which class he would be placed in.

Kyo scans the papers nervously. He knew that once school was back in session, there would always be a risk of running into a girl with shoulder length brown hair with anger issues that happened to be obsessed with him. He desperately searches for his name in hopes to find it quickly and get the hell out of there before he has been discovered.

"Did you see who's going to be in our class this year?" Kyo jumped at the sudden voice beside him. He automatically assumed that it was Kagura before he could process the voice, but when he turned to the direction the voice was coming from, he recognized his black and white haired cousin.

"Why the hell did you sneak up on me like that?!" Kyo yelled, still recovering from the panic he had thinking Kagura was beside him and not Haru.

"So you didn't find our class list yet?" Haru said, not reacting to Kyo's panic.

"Uh…" He looks back the lists and after a moment, found that he would be in class 2-C this year. He knew Haru was in his class this year because he had mentioned "our class". He and Haru had been in the same class last year as well. When he looked below his name, his worst nightmare had been realized. Along with Kagura, he couldn't stand his cousin Yuki, and now they would be in the same class together for an entire year.

"You're staring at that list awfully long. Did you see something you don't like?" Speak of the devil, Kyo thinks to himself. Yuki was standing behind Kyo, with an emotionless face.

"Yeah, I did," Kyo says, glaring at his grey haired cousin.

"I can't believe it took you that long to find your class. What are you, some kind of idiot?"

Kyo grits his teeth and curls his fingers into a fist. This is exactly why he can't stand Yuki; he was always so demeaning and just asking for a punch in the face. "You know, I kind of wanted to start school on a good foot, but I'll happily get suspended on the first day if it means I can beat you to a pulp. How's that sound, pretty boy?"

Yuki's mouth curls into an evil smile. "That would sound intimidating, if you actually had a chance against me."

Kyo raises his fist in an attempt to make a swing at Yuki, and Yuki changes his stance ready to find his fiery orange-haired cousin. However, Haru steps in between them and intervenes in the potential fight. "Alright you two, let's get to class before you kill each other."

Kyo objects as he would love nothing more than to leave a dent in Yuki's face. But Haru was doing an excellent job holding onto Kyo's collar, being sure to keep distance between Kyo and Yuki. Yuki rubbed his temple in annoyance as Kyo went on and on how he was going to beat him up. Kyo didn't care that he was getting strange looks from his classmates as he continued to make threats to his cousin. If he had to chance to challenge Yuki, he would do it and he would win… this time.

Even though Kyo and Yuki argued with each other the entire time, Haru somehow managed to cattle them into their homeroom without them actually physically hurting each other. They glanced at their teacher's seating chart on the desk, and unfortunately for Kyo, Yuki would be sitting across from him. There really is no escaping this damn Yuki! Kyo thinks to himself. He speed walks to his desk and falls into his seat, wanting desperately to be anywhere but here.

He doesn't dare look to his right, for it would be the direction his stupid cousins would be sitting. Instead he looks to his left, gazing out one of the second windows and immediately starts daydreaming. At least this seat has a view, Kyo thinks to himself. In the background he can hear the chatter of excited gregarious students; excited to see each other after the long summer break and excited to start a new year of high school. His classroom is full of friendships, some genuine, some fake, but he was sick of all of them. That's why he plans to leave it all behind him in three months.

An image of his mother immediately rushes into his mind as he thinks this, but he reassures her that competing in the martial arts competition and winning the $10,000 prize money would be a milestone for his future. He had heard about this competition before summer break and sparked his idea of using the prize money to move out and use the money as a down payment on a place of his own. Maybe with his new place, he could convert part of it to be a dojo, using it to practice martial arts and continue to compete in competitions for a living. Although this plan did have some flaws, it's the best idea Kyo has ever had and it was definitely going to get him away from his asshole father and everyone else around him. Don't worry Mom, Kyo thinks to himself, I'll continue to go to school until the competition. And if you keep bothering me about it, I'll transfer to a different school. I need to do this for myself.

Kyo sighs to himself and continues to look out the window. Thinking about the competition reminded him that he hasn't actually practiced at a dojo since school let up for summer break and he definitely needed to get back in the groove of things. Although he practices on his own accord outside, there's nothing quite like the atmosphere of a dojo. He reassures himself that going to the school's dojo afterwards would be his first stop. He smiles and instantly gets pumped up but his good mood only lasts for a moment before his thoughts are interrupted by an attack hug from a girl that he was oh too familiar with.

"Kyo! I've missed you so much during the summer! Why didn't you call me?" Kagura is latched onto Kyo tight. Even though Kyo is quite strong, it would take most of his strength to escape her grapple.

"And why the hell would I do that?"

"Kyo! I can't believe that you would say that! Don't you know, how much… HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?!" As she says these last words, she picks Kyo up and slams him onto the ground. This of course is a common occurrence, for violence is how Kagura shows her love. This is also why Kyo tries to avoid her at all costs.

Kyo lays on the ground dumbfounded, but manages to say, "How did you even find me?"

Kagura changes her personality to her sweet side instantaneously. "That's easy, silly! I just so happened to see your name on the bulletin outside when I was looking for my class." Right. You just "happened" to see my name, Kyo thinks to himself. More like you purposely searched for my name.

"Yeah, well, you found me. Now you can leave."

Kagura puts her hands over her mouth and acts shocked like he would say something like that to her. "But Kyo, I just want to be by your side forever!" She picks him off the floor and hugs him tightly again, almost suffocating him.

As the show unfolds, Yuki and Haru are watching them with amusement, trying hard not to laugh at Kyo's misery. Finally Haru enters the conversation. "Kyo, I'm quite jealous of you. I wish I had a fiancé that loved me the way that Kagura does."

Yuki also joins in. "Yes I am too. When are you two going to set a date for the wedding?"

If looks could kill, Kyo would have killed them both ten times over. Before he could threaten them, Kagura chimes in. "We hope to be married next year, when I gradute!"

"When did I agree to that?!"

"Oh Kyo, don't you remember? When we were kids, you promised me that we would get married!"

"That's only because you threatened to kill me if I said no!" Kyo couldn't take it anymore. He was surrounded by idiots and he couldn't escape them. They were all still talking, though he wasn't sure if it was to him directly or a separate conversation. He was trying desperately to block out their voices but to no avail. I wish they would all just shut up! Kyo thinks to himself.

In this moment, Kyo feels the silhouette of a girl with fair skin and long brown hair pass him. He turns his head in her direction but can only catch the backside of her image. She has a small frame and two purple ribbons tied in her hair. For some reason, he cannot look away, not before seeing the front of her. The girl puts her bag on her desk and was about to turn around, but Kagura puts her face in front him and tries to kiss him.

"What are you doing?! Get away from me!"

"Aw Kyo don't be like that! This is normal for people who are in love!"

"And what people are you referring to? It sure as hell isn't me!" Kyo is desperately trying to hold Kagura's face away from him but she's not giving up so easily.

"Alright class, that's enough, settle down. Please take your seats." For the first time in Kyo's life, a teacher has been his saving grace. He looks at his teacher and notices that he has cold gray eyes, although some of his hair is covering one of them. He also presents himself as well collected in a wrinkle-free suit, and has three pens placed perfectly in his jacket pocket. Kyo instantly gets the feeling that this teacher was going to be difficult to be with for the rest of this semester.

The teacher eyes Kagura. "Kagura, although this has been your class before, I know it is not the case this year. Please go attend your class upstairs."

Kagura pouts but she listens to the teacher and begins to head out the door. However, she does not leave without turning in Kyo's direction and winking at him. The class begins to giggle at Kyo and Kyo turns red in the face. Not because he liked Kagura's notion, but because of how embarrassing this girl was to him.

When Kagura leaves the classroom, the teacher begins with his introduction. "Good morning, class. My name is Hatori Sohma and I will be your homeroom teacher for the semester." Sohma? Kyo thought it was odd that Hatori had the same last name as him when he was pretty sure he didn't have a relative with that name. He certainly hoped that they weren't related, because he had this feeling that this guy was going to be a hard ass and he didn't need any more of those kinds of people in his family.

Hatori continues. "I'd like you all to know that I will not be going easy on you, for I want you all to do your very best. Life does not give any handouts, and I will be the same way. But I would like to get to know you all a little better so I know what I'll be working with this year. So when I call out your name for attendance, please stand and tell me a bit about yourself."

I can't believe that I have to put up with this bullshit, Kyo thinks to himself. He already tries very hard to avoid conversation with his classmates already; why would he want to introduce himself to them and tell them about himself? He reassures himself and says that he just has to get past these three months and he would never have to see them again.

Hatori begins to take attendance and one by one, the students stand and introduce themselves to the class. He makes his way on the list to Haru and Yuki, and he is especially impressed by Yuki with his good grades and his involvement with student council. Kyo immediately wanted to vomit as he couldn't take the praise his stupid cousin was receiving. Hatori then called out Kyo's name and begrudgingly, he rose from his seat.

"Er, yes, my name is Kyo Sohma, and there's nothing else to know about me." Kyo immediately sits back down with his arms crossed around his chest.

Hatori continues to stare at Kyo, not amused by his introduction. "I've heard all about you from your pervious teachers, Kyo. And just so you are aware, I will not tolerate the behavior that you beseeched onto them. For example, I will not allow you to wear your uniform improperly while in my class. Please button up your shirt. If it happens again, you will be excused from class. And don't think of that as a reward."

Kyo could feel his eye twitching with annoyance. Don't tempt me, he thinks to himself. He grumbles and begins to button up his shirt. Just three more months of dealing with this crap.

Hatori continues down the list. "Tohru Honda."

Kyo turns around and sees the girl with fair skin and long brown hair stand and sees that she is two seats down and the next row over him. He also notices that she has a pair of big brown eyes to match her hair. He won't admit to it, but one of the first things that popped into his head when he first saw here was "cute". As she's standing there, she begins to fidget and is completely silent. She opens her mouth as if she were to say something but she decides against it and sits back down without saying a word. The students in the class begin to whisper at her awkward introduction, and Kyo also wonders why she doesn't say anything.

"Ah, yes, I forgot," Hatori says, "you're the student that lost her voice."


	2. Chapter 2

A typical high school classroom is full of sounds. The teacher heading the class will be giving a lecture, followed by the sounds of pencil lead chipping away on paper made by adolescents. There would also be the quiet clicking of buttons on cellphones by a few students who don't bother to pay attention to the lecture, maybe even a snore or two could be heard if a teacher didn't pay attention to the sleeping student or just didn't bother waking them up. But the most evident sound to be heard in a classroom is students talking. They would be talking to each other, talking about their plans after school, who's dating whom, laughing at each other's jokes, just being kids. Tohru, however, is not a typical student in this typical class. She is without a voice, and Kyo is completely taken aback.

Hatori says nothing more to Tohru and continues taking attendance. Kyo thinks this is odd, because from the vibe he got from this teacher, Hatori wouldn't react well to insolence. Tohru didn't say a word when Hatori called out her name and he shrugged it off as if this is normal. But this is not normal. How is it that a seemingly normal girl could just lose her voice?

As Hatori begins his lecture, Kyo succumbs to his thoughts and begins to think of theories about Tohru Honda's missing voice. Hatori said that she's the student that "lost her voice" so she must have been able to speak before. Was she simply not speaking to draw attention to herself? No that can't be it, Kyo thinks to himself. Hatori definitely would not allow that and would send her to the office or something if she refused to speak. She also doesn't seem like the type who would want all eyes on her intentionally. The teachers must have accepted this as normal. But how did her voice suddenly disappear? Kyo was not one to think this hard on a matter as trivial as this, but he can't stop himself from pondering about this mystery.

Even though Tohru was seated behind Yuki, he managed to make a few side glances in her direction without Yuki noticing. Kyo did not want Yuki thinking that he was trying to look at him, that would be just horrid. Tohru was staring straight ahead, which at first startled Kyo because he thought that he had been caught staring at her. But she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, not paying attention to anything around her. He also thought it was odd that Tohru kept her bag on her desk instead of next to her seat or underneath her desk. She kept her hands folded on her lap and that's where they stayed. She didn't move any parts of her body; she didn't even blink once. It was almost like she was in a trance. Well this girl is definitely weird, Kyo thinks to himself, but there has to be more to why she can't talk.

Just then the bell rings to dismiss students to go to their next class. To add to Tohru's oddness, she jolts up from her desk, picks up her bag swiftly, and speeds out the door. She exited the classroom so quickly that almost no one noticed that she left, except probably Kyo. She was the first to leave, and it seemed like that's how she wanted it.

"Alright class, make sure you start working on your assignments early," Hatori says, "I will not accept any late papers so don't think I'll forgive your laziness." In that moment Hatori is deliberately staring at Kyo, knowing that Kyo would be the main offender. Kyo scowls at his glare. How am I going to get through this semester by having this asshole as my teacher, Kyo thinks to himself.

Kyo's thoughts again are filled with the mysterious mute girl and wonders if anyone else thought that situation was odd, too. He was going to ask Haru about her, but he noticed that he had already left. Yuki was still at his desk about ready to get up. Kyo tried to avoid conversation with Yuki at any chance he could get, but he knew that if I didn't express his thoughts out loud now he won't stop thinking about her. He sighs deeply and gets Yuki's attention.

"Hey," Kyo starts, "did you notice the mute girl was the first to leave? Like she was out before the bell finished ringing."

Yuki stares at him, not amused by his cousin trying to talk to him after he threatened to kill him this morning and also not amused by the subject of the conversation. "No, I didn't. Does it matter?"

Kyo is somewhat startled by Yuki's words. Was it strange for him to be thinking about that? "I don't know. I just think it's weird that she's not quick to talk but she's sure as hell quick to leave."

"Maybe she just wanted to make it to her next class on time? Which you should be heading to as well." With that being said, Yuki finishes gathering the rest of his items and heads out the door.

Kyo grumbles to himself and follows suit. He was maybe only in the classroom for two minutes after Tohru had left, so out of curiosity he could probably see Tohru at the end of the hallway. He wondered what other classes she would have next and if the other teachers would be as accommodating. Kyo looked down both ends of the hallway, but Tohru was nowhere to be seen.

After a couple more antagonizing classes, it was finally time for lunch. Although Kyo hates school almost as much as he hates Yuki, Kyo actually looked forward to lunch period. Because he lives in a low income household, he is able to get free lunches and sometimes it is the only meal he receives. Usually the school lunches are bland, but they are filling enough and they give him just enough energy to train at the dojo.

Kyo gets his boring lunch of steamed rice and vegetables and finds a table with no one seated in it. He's disappointed that today's meal didn't come with any meat; any kind of protein is Kyo's favorite. But it's free and it's food and he's just going to have to deal with it. Even though lunch sucks, he's happy to be finally alone and maybe get some peace of mind. I just have to get through three more classes and then I can go to the dojo, Kyo thinks to himself. The dojo's been calling his name since homeroom.

His solitary moment of bliss only lasted a short moment before it was interrupted by his two cousins joining him at his table. Kyo is immediately aggravated and rubs his temple. "Why did you guys decide to sit here?"

Both of the teenage boys' faces remain expressionless. Haru speaks first. "We can sit anywhere we want, right? It's not like we have assigned seats in the cafeteria."

Yuki also chimes in. "Wherever Haru decides to sit, I'm going to sit with him. If I sit by myself or with anyone else, the upperclassman girls will smother me with their affection and I don't feel like dealing with them right now. If I'm with Haru, they'll stay away."

Kyo snorts. "It's probably because when Haru goes Black he goes bat-shit crazy and destroys everything around him." It's lucky for Kyo that he's stronger than Haru and could stop him when he gets out of control. But unfortunately for Kyo, he couldn't stop him from following him around and he was going to have to deal with Haru and Yuki's presence.

As the three Sohmas were eating lunch together, he noticed that Tohru was sitting two tables down from them. There were also two girls sitting with her, both he did not recognize. One had long blonde hair covering part of her face and once with a long black braid hanging down her back. The two girls seemed to be carrying conversation with Tohru and she seemed to be contributing, but she was not opening her mouth. She was simply smiling at them and they didn't seem to mind that she wasn't talking.

"So how long are you going to keep staring at her before you approach her?" Kyo jumps at Haru's sudden comment. Kyo wonders how long he was staring at Tohru before Haru said something.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Kyo. I noticed you looking at her in class, too. Do you have the hots for her or something? Pretty bold of you to take interest in a girl who can't say no."

Kyo was blushing profusely. "It's not like that! I just think it's so weird she went mute all of a sudden. She used to talk before, right? Did you two know her before summer?"

Yuki was pondering seriously for a moment and then says, "Yes, she was in my homeroom last year. We were only acquaintances so I don't know her well but she was always so cheerful in class and loved talking to people. Those two girls that are sitting with her, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, are her friends and seem to always be by her side. Very unlikely friends, but it goes to show what kind of person Honda-san is. After we came back from spring break, she suddenly couldn't speak. No one knows why. The teachers don't even know, or at least they claim to not know. And that's the end of that."

Kyo is not satisfied with Yuki's answer. How does anyone not know what's going on with her? Shouldn't the school staff be more concerned about her condition? That's another reason Kyo wants to get out of this school; no one seems to give a shit about anyone here. "Doesn't anyone care to know, like to help her or something? It's not normal for someone to just stop talking all of a sudden."

"Did the thought ever cross your mind that maybe she doesn't want help?" Hatori says with a slight annoyance in his voice. "Which comes back to my original question: when are you going to approach her, since you obviously have an interest in her?"

Kyo was about to speak up but Yuki interrupted him. "Maybe you should stop concerning yourself with other people's business and be worried about whether you'll advance to the next grade. Being in student council, I can see others' educational standing and noticed you were in the bottom 10% of your class last year."

Kyo grits his teeth and pounds his fist on the table. "Look who's talking! I don't need your life advice. In fact, why you don't you just get the hell away from me!"

"I don't take orders from stupid people such as yourself."

"Alright, that's it! We're going to deal with this, right here, right now. You better be prepared, pretty boy. I'm about to smash your face in!" Kyo and Yuki argument starts to get louder and it starts to draw attention to them. Haru sighs and rubs his head; he wonders if he'll ever go a day where he won't have to deal with their annoying bickering. As Yuki and Kyo were arguing, Kyo once again glances in the direction that Tohru was sitting, but to his disappointment she and her friends were gone.

Kyo didn't think the moment would ever come, but the final bell of the day has rung. He immediately jumped out of his seat and was heading out the door. Kyo was only a couple yards behind Tohru when he exited the classroom. The thought did pass through his mind that he could probably discover more about Tohru if he watched which direction she was going, but right now the other thoughts crowding his mind was about the dojo and that's where he's going.

As soon as he entered the hallway however, he was wary of running into Kagura. He knew that her love for him was more like an obsession, and that was one of the few things that scared him. Kyo was hidden behind one of the corners of lockers but he was still able to have the third-years stairwell in his view. Luckily for him he chose to hide at the right moment, because there came Kagura skipping down the stairs.

Some of her friends were calling after her, asking where she was going in such a hurry. She simply replied, "I'm off to see my love, of course! I have to get there before he leaves the classroom." She came dangerously close to his hiding spot, but Kagura's love seemed to blind her of her peripheral vision. Kyo sighed in relief; he was safe, for now.

The dojo was on the opposite side of the school's campus and it took Kyo longer than he wanted to reach it. But when he opened the doors to the dojo, he couldn't help but stand there and take in the view. The floors had been polished and the equipment was neatly organized in place. It had long windows on one side of room, letting in plenty of natural light. Kyo could tell that he would be the first of the year to use the dojo, and he was absolutely thrilled. It was quiet, serene; it was home.

Kyo went to the dressing room and got dressed in his robes. He looked in one of the mirrors and noted that he looked rather silly in his attire. He received his martial arts set from his mother when he was twelve shortly before she passed away. It was his first and only set that he owned, and although it has faded to an off-white color and it was much too small for him, he did cherish it. He remembers that it used to be way too big for him when he was a kid but he had a major growth spurt two years ago and now it was almost too small to wear. He says that he should probably buy a new set once he wins the competition, but for now this will work.

There were so many techniques that he wanted to practice, but he knew that he should warm up first. He saw one of the kicking bags on the other side of the room and decides to practice some reps on that first. He moves it close the center of the dojo and begins practicing some high kicks. Kyo almost always thinks of his Shishou, Kazuma, when he his practicing his technique. Kazuma was the first one to show him martial arts and Kyo immediately fell in love with the sport. Kazuma taught him everything he knows, and he's forever grateful for that. His father never approved of him taking up martial arts; he said it was a waste of time. But Kazuma somehow managed to convince his father to continue to train with him. It might be because they were friends at the time, but when his mother passed away, his father grew cold towards Kazuma. Kazuma stopped coming to their house, and Kyo was depressed for a while when he did. But now that he's older, he understands why he stopped coming by. Kazuma does try calling once in a while and if Kyo is lucky enough, he can get to the phone before his father does. Kyo smiles at the memory of his Shishou and makes a promise to himself to visit him once he wins the $10,000.

As Kyo was practicing his high kicks, he suddenly feels like someone is watching him from the dojo's door. He stopped doing his reps and looks in that direction. He didn't hear anything, but he decides to walk closer to the door. There was a window on both of the doors so he could see if anyone was there. He peered through the windows but he didn't see anything. He decides to shrug it off and go back to the kicking bag. The only person who would watch me would be Kagura, and if it was her, I'll tell her off, Kyo thinks to himself.

He was getting somewhat aggravated because he didn't want to think about anyone or anything that was annoying in his life while he was at the dojo. This was the place where he could leave his current life at the door and just focus on his martial arts. Nothing else mattered to him. However, he would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't think about Tohru in between his reps.


End file.
